Raegae Oak's POV – District 7 Male

"So… what's behind this tree?" I mumbled aloud as I looked past another tree in the forest. "Oh look, it's another tree. Who would've fucking guessed?"

It was a lame joke, but I thought it was clever enough to get at least a pity laugh. However, I got no response. Again. I constantly had to remind myself that there really was nobody with me and I was alone. I knew this, but I really couldn't stop joking and talking and waiting for somebody to answer. My mind just couldn't process fully that I was by myself completely, and because of that, I was now developing a bad habit that, from the looks of it, was probably going to keep getting worse and worse until the day I get out of the Games.

For the first time in my life, I felt lonely. Even when I lived on the streets of District Seven, there were at least a couple of other homeless guys I could talk to on occasion. And, while on the streets, there was always a few other people who'd walk the streets that I could harass. Even if I lived by myself, I could still do things and get a reaction from others. Here, there was nobody I could talk or anything, and I couldn't see how the audience was reacting to anything I did. There was absolutely no source of entertainment at all, and I was bored and sick of it.

Being alone fucking sucked. It almost made me regret killing Winnie. I could have probably just tied her up and kept her with me during the Games and have her as somebody to talk to. She was a 'holier-than-thou' little bitch and I'm sure I could've really gotten under her skin during the Games. There were plenty of jokes I had in my mind for little shits like her. Maybe I should've kept her alive…

Nah. I shook my head, rejecting that thought as soon as it entered my mind. Even though I was getting lonely, I couldn't deny that I was here to kill. It made no sense to simply leave somebody alive who could one day kill me. And Winnie, if anything, was smart and slippery as fuck. No, she had to die then and there; otherwise she would have been a pain in my ass later.

Plus, I was glad that I had managed to get a kill that early in the Games. It was actually a pretty exciting experience and, I had to say, I was more than willing to make another. Also, it helped improve my image. After all, no Capitol shmuck would be willing to support somebody if they couldn't kill. It didn't matter what kind of person you were: all they wanted were bloodthirsty murderers. And if that was the role they wanted for their 'tributes', then I'd be more than willing to take on the act and go with it.

Sure, there were probably a couple of people that were pissed that I killed Winnie; there was definitely a negative stigma for some reason that a tribute shouldn't be the one to kill their district partner. However, I knew that the 'dislike' wouldn't be forever. I was pretty certain after my next kill, the audience would warm up to me and I'd be rolling in sponsorship gifts. And once I had a few more kills and gifts under my belt, I could get myself out of this arena!

… Which, by the way, is boring as fuck!

Maybe I shouldn't have headed directly into the forest. Maybe I should've gone for the volcano or into the city once I got my supplies from Winnie. However, I decided to go into the forest and I was regretting it. Considering that I was from District Seven, the district in charge of fucking lumber, trees were just not anything special to me. I was getting sick of seeing the same damn trees over and over again. I was pretty sure I was walking in circles now. There was just nothing special about this place and I was sick of it. It was the one thing I hated most in people and things: it was just so fucking basic!

"And you call this shit a 'Quarter Quell'." I spoke up, rolling my eyes dramatically. I looked upward to the sky, hoping that the Gamemakers were listening. "Come on. Just give me something to do already dammit!"

"PLOP!"

A weird sound rang throughout the area. I turned my head around, in the direction of the sound. Between the trees was a single flower that rose from the ground. It was a weird red/brown hybrid color and its petals were dark orange. It continued to rise high until it was about two feet above ground. The petals surrounding the flower pointed itself out at me before a giant fireball was released from its center.

"What the fuck?"

I jumped out of the way just in time. The fireball made contact with a tree that was behind where I was standing. It was now lit on fire and it looked like it was going to be a big fire soon.

"PLOP!"

Shit!

I turned my head again and noticed that a second flower had sprung from the ground. It appeared right next to the previous flower and rose to its height. Its petals then pointed directly at me, just like the first one had.

"What the fuck are these things?" I shouted as I jumped out of the way of another fireball.

Another tree had caught on fire. Another 'plopping' sound rang through the area. I didn't even bother looking back this time; I could tell that there was another damn flower again. At the rate this was going, I was going to be surrounded by both these damn flowers and a giant fucking fire.

"I got to get out of here. I got to get out of here now!" I told myself loudly.

I started to run immediately away from the area. I kept turning my head back-and-forth, making sure that no fireballs were flying towards me. As expected, though, there were plenty of fireballs heading towards me. I had to run in different directions to make sure that no fireballs hit me.

With each step I took away from the area, I heard the 'plop' noise that signaled more flowers. These flowers were fucking following me now.

Come on Raegae! You aren't going to die to some fucking flowers! You're better than that at least!

I ran harder than I've ever ran before in my entire life, moving on pure adrenaline. After a full minute of running and avoiding fireballs, the sounds of the flowers stopped ringing in the arena. It appeared that they had stopped following me, finally. A grin developed on my face immediately.

"Heh, the score is now Raegae, one; bullshit flowers, zero." I taunted proudly.

Nevertheless, I continued running just in case the flowers appeared again. Once it became clear that they were gone completely, I stopped running and tried to catch my breath. After a few seconds of heavy breathing, I finally calmed down and started to look around at the new area I was in.

I was still in the forest it appeared, but the trees were starting to less and less sparse. I was probably approaching the edge of it. There was also a new sound that rang through the area: the sound of flowing water. I knew immediately that I was near water.

"Well, that doesn't sound that bad of a place to head to." I spoke to myself as I walked in the direction of the sound.

It was important to find a source of water that'd be easy to reach. Finding a river was definitely going to be a major benefit to my game. I could probably set up camp nearby and not have to worry about running out of water and being dehydrated. Plus, I knew that the other tributes were going to have to head to the water source to get their own drinks. Me finding a river this fast was going to be an absolute advantage for me!

A few seconds passed before I finally reached the source of the sound. I found myself face to face with a river. However, I found myself gaping at the sight of the river, if you could even call it that.

Instead of water, it was a river of flowing lava. The lava flowed down at a fast pace like a normal river would. It stretched for as long as I could see. It had to stretch at least a mile or two. How long it went exactly, I had no clue. It probably went all the way to the damn volcano…

Hesitantly, I walked over to the edge of the river. I then kicked a small rock that was on the ground into it. The rock melted immediately on contact.

"You know, that thing won't discriminate. It would do that to anyone or anything." I told myself as I shivered slightly. "That'd be me if I fell in it."

Immediately after speaking, I turned my direction and started heading away. I wasn't completely sure where I was going, but I was certainly going away from that damn river. I didn't want to risk something happening with that thing. If I somehow had to die, I wanted to go down in a badass way, like dying after an epic fight to-the-death with one of the careers. 'Melting alive' didn't sound badass at all: that just sounded painful.

"I guess this arena is a little bit more interesting than I thought it was…" I mumbled aloud. A part of me realized that I may have offended the Gamemakers with a few of the things I had said about the Quarter Quell, so I was hoping to maybe put in a good word and get back in their good graces: for now, at least.

Still, that comment wasn't entirely ass-kissing bullshit. The arena was more than just a forest and some generic ruined city. There was probably a lot more to this place than I had seen even now. The only question in my head, though, is what else did the Gamemakers put in here?

At least things weren't going to be boring at least. They were interesting and memorable. How would I ever forget coming face-to-face with fire-breathing flowers and rivers of lava? I had no doubt that, once I won the Games, I'd remember this shit for the rest of my life.

Florina Everett's POV – District 11 Female

"Finally, a fresh water source." Booker sighed in relief.

After wandering the arena for hours now, we finally found a place for water – a giant lake. It was probably one of the largest water sources I had ever seen. District Eleven had nothing that rivaled the lake's size! There were also a few animals, like rabbits foxes, that were drinking from the water. It was, at the very least, not poisonous water.

"Is this where you want to set up camp?" I asked my ally.

"Yeah, although we probably shouldn't set up camp here for much longer than tonight." He replied with a grumble. His eyes faced the volcano and I immediately knew why he was saying that.

"I'd agree. We are pretty close to the volcano, aren't we? I mean, closer than most places on the island." I noted as I studied the volcano and our distance from it. Concern then crossed my face as I started imagining hypothetical scenarios. "Like… How far away do you think we are from it? Do you think it's even safe to be here tonight? Should we leave and find someplace else to camp? I'm sure there are other water sources that aren't that close to the volcano… and places where we won't be immediately killed if that thing erupts tonight."

"It's not going to erupt tonight, Florina. That I'm sure of." Booker replied with a chuckle. "That'd be really anti-climactic if it did."

Booker made a point and it reminded me that this whole thing was in fact some game, some kind of sick entertainment, to the Capitol people. I'm sure the media is hyping up that volcano and people are probably predicting when it's going to blow up and how many people are going to die when it does.

That thought alone made me sick. I could be amongst the people that do die! Booker could to. Any of us could! And then what about our loved ones? They'd die with us! My dad would die with me! But that didn't matter to the Capitol I guess. We were all just their little pawns in their little game…

"Florina? Are you alright?" Booker spoke up, interrupting my thoughts.

I turned my head towards my ally and nodded my head fervently in response: "Of course I am!"

"You appeared to be otherwise. You looked like you were in deep thought and looked distressed." He replied back.

"I did?" I blinked in response. I didn't feel too upset or anything compared to how I've been since the reaping. Then again, I suppose it did make sense if I did look kinda distressed. Thinking about the actual Hunger Games and what I was here to do did that to me.

No matter how hard I tried to talk myself up and get myself ready to fight… even though I did know that I was going to have to fight and kill to get home, I still had my own concerns about the Hunger Games. After all, my mother taught me exactly what the Hunger Games does to people and I've seen first-hand what they did to my father.

"You're zoning out again Florina." Booker spoke up, interrupting my thoughts again.

"Ah!" I shook my head, removing the thoughts from my head. I then blushed embarrassment, hoping that I didn't like some idiot who couldn't think straight. "S-Sorry about that…"

"Don't apologize. Although, do you want to talk?" The District Six boy offered as he set the backpack on his shoulders down on the ground and turned to face me. "Don't deny it: you have a lot on your mind, and I know from personal experience that talking with someone can help."

"Really?" I responded, looking downward slightly. "I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience and trouble you with anything…"

Booker nodded his head in response. A frown developed on his face soon after. "It's never an inconvenience to talk to somebody when they want to. And believe me, bottling up your emotions and thoughts only causes you more harm than anything else." The frown then disappeared and a small smile graced his lips. "That's what my father told me a few years ago and it's helped me ever since."

I blushed a little at the sight of his smile. Booker usually had a serious expression or a scowl on his face, so seeing something else was always rare and really nice. It really suited his face very well.

Immediately, I pushed those thoughts out of the way as I thought back to the root of my problem: the Hunger Games itself. I appreciated what Booker was saying and I'd love to talk to him, but how would I talk about my grievances about the Games without putting a target on my back from the Gamemakers? I knew they were going to hear every word of our conversation and if I said something too 'anti-Capitol', then they'd take me out in a heartbeat and I'd never get back home!

I sighed in response before speaking: "I would love to talk to you about what's going on in my head, but I don't think I can talk about it. I just don't know what to say exactly-"

"Say no more: I understand." He interrupted me.

"Huh?"

"I understand." Booker replied again. He then took a look around the entire area. I noticed exactly what he was doing and what he was saying: he knew that I was bothered about the Games.

"… I see." I replied with a sigh. "… And what do you think?"

"It's just something we have to go through. There's not much I or anyone can say than that." He replied with a sigh of his own. I frowned in response, knowing that he was right. We were in the arena now and there was nothing we could do about. I opened my mouth to say something to him, but I stopped myself when he gave me another smile and started to speak. "But hey, I'm here with you. And if I can help you out while we are here, then I'll be glad to."

Booker was trying to dodge outwardly talking about the Games, but I knew what he was trying to say to me. A bright smile crossed my lips as I looked at my ally happily.

"Thank you so much Booker. I… I really am glad you're here with me. I don't know how I'd be if I was off alone now." I answered sincerely.

I really didn't want to imagine how I would be alone. I was a nervous wreck before the Games started today and my father was only able to barely console me. I acted purely on adrenaline in the bloodbath, but I knew that if I was alone by myself afterwards, I would have probably broke down. I was just glad to have somebody with me – somebody like Booker who was willing to put up with me.

"You would be fine, I'm sure. You're much stronger than you give yourself credit." He informed with a chuckle. "But I'm glad to have you with me as well."

A light blush crossed my cheeks again.

A brief period of silence filled the area. It was finally broken by the sound of something stepping on grass. Both Booker and I turned our heads to see a wolf approaching the lake. Immediately, we exchanged a look.

"It's probably around the time to eat something." He commented.

"… I guess it is." I mumbled back.

I wasn't against eating meat, but I never liked thinking about the animals dying to get the meat. I just liked imagining a world where that wasn't the case. However, this was the arena and I needed to do what I can to survive. Even if it means leaving the imaginary world I had invented for myself. After all, my father had taught me how to hunt in case I was ever reaped. And well, here I was, ready for the exact situation he prepared me for.

With that in mind, I gripped the edge of my scythe tightly as I inched closer to the fox.

"How does it taste?" Booker asked as I took my first bite into the meat.

"Delicious!" I replied with a smile after I finished chewing the bite in my mouth. "You did a good job with it. If it was me, alone, I would have probably burnt it and ruined it. It would've tasted so bad!"

"I didn't do much of a job with it. I just prepared it and put it on the fire." Booker laughed in response as he took a bite of his own. Once he finished chewing and swallowing, he started to talk again. "Although I'd like to think I'm not too bad with food when I'm actually in a kitchen. I cook most of the meals for my father and me."

"What's your best dish, then?" I questioned out of curiosity.

"Steak. Not a particularly fancy one, but I think I can make a pretty good steak whenever I get the right kind of meat." He answered with a shrug.

"Can you bake?" I asked.

"Loosely." Booker sighed in response. "I just started looking at my mother's recipe book about a week or two before the reaping."

"Ah! You should totally pursue that and learn how to bake all kinds of sweets!" I exclaimed. I had this weird fixation for all kinds of sweets. Candies, cookies, cakes – you name it, I was probably obsessed with it. I nearly went insane when I was offered the cakes here in the Capitol with how delicious they tasted. "What's your mother's best thing she bakes?"

"It was a chocolate cake of sort. I don't really know what exactly was in it, because she never wrote it down in her book." He answered with a fond smile. "Probably one of the most delicious things I think I've ever eaten in my entire life."

I immediately noticed the word 'was'. I almost opened my mouth to ask about it, but then realization dawned on me when I remembered that he said he cooked for him and his father only: Booker's mother was dead.

I opened my mouth to say something back in response, maybe offer a condolence, but a loud sound interrupted me: the sound of the Capitol anthem. Booker and I stopped eating and looked upward into the sky, waiting to see who of our competition was dead…

Back in District Eleven, my mother was a teacher. The two of us watched as so many of the students she taught got reaped and were murdered in the arena. I never could get over how sick it was seeing their faces in the sky. Now, I got to see more faces in the sky, only this time, it was people that I had seen. There was even a chance the faces could be of people I even had talked to during the training days! They were just going to show up in the night sky before disappearing forever.

This is so messed up…

Jason Icarus's POV – District 9 Male

The very first image that appeared in the sky took me by complete surprise. It was the confident-looking girl from District One, Kendra: the girl that had nearly killed Raven earlier in the Hunger Games. The girl who I had attacked and nearly killed…

… Or did I? Was it I who killed her?

"I thought she lived." Raven commented.

For a moment, I turned my head to look towards the young girl from District Eight. Raven and I had not talked since the bloodbath. We simply stuck with each other and walked through the motions as we explored the arena's ruined city together. I assumed we were allies now, or at the very least, we were working together. We agreed on a place to set up camp in a small, still-stable house without speaking once to each other. This was the first time she's talked since the bloodbath and it felt weird hearing her voice. It wasn't as cheerful or happy as I always remembered it being during the time before the Games started. It was a lot more tired and filled with sadness.

"… Do you think I killed her?" I asked her quietly.

"I don't know." She sighed in response. "There's a chance. But I really thought she was alive. I think she must have died somehow after we left."

Raven was probably right. Still, I knocked that girl unconscious. If something happened to her afterwards, it was because I knocked her out and she couldn't react properly. Maybe I wasn't her direct killer, but I was definitely a major part in why she was dead. Her blood was on my hands, and nothing anyone said would change that fact.

The next face that appeared in the sky was the boy from District Three, Ethan. He had a very nervous look on his face in the sky and it looked like he was partially depressed in it. After Ethan's face was the little girl from District Seven, Winnie. She looked so fragile in her image: like a little porcelain doll.

"Xander…" Raven mumbled the name to herself as the next image appeared in the sky: the image of the boy from District Eight

"Did you know him well?" I asked.

"Sorta. We talked quite a bit in the living quarters." She replied sadly. "He was really withdrawn, but he slowly started to open up over time. He was a really sweet and a lot smarter than I think anyone gave him credit for. Probably one of the nicest boys I've ever met. We could have been really good friends if we met outside of the Games I think."

I nodded in response. I always thought that he seemed like a nice guy whenever I saw him. Perhaps we could've been friends too. But I would never know. He was dead. Just like her…

"Demi…" I mumbled as the image of Demi's face appeared in the sky.

Demi had a bright smile on her face: a smile I had only seen on her face once or twice in the entire time I knew her. She was definitely somebody scarred from her own past and had a lot of mental walls around herself to protect herself. I had wanted to be there with her and help her overcome them and really get to know her. That opportunity was long-gone though. She was gone forever, and now that bright, happy girl never had the chance to get out of her own barriers.

And it was all because of me.

"I really wish I got to know her. She always looked like somebody that I would've gotten along with." Raven commented sadly. "… I'm so sorry for getting her killed."

"It wasn't you. That was my fault." I spoke up immediately, shaking my head negatively. "If I had just killed Kendra right away, then this wouldn't have happened. She'd be here with us. She wouldn't be…"

All I ever did was try to help people. My mother always did everything she could to help anybody that needed her help and I always tried to emulate her in everything I did. She was the type of woman who 'did favors' for the head peacekeeper just to have a little more money so she could help provide for me and any of her friends who needed anything. She was willing to sacrifice herself and her dignity just to help others, and I always tried to follow in her example. If there was anything I could do for somebody who desperately needed it, I would try to help. Anything to spread a little good in this horrible world of Panem.

Here, in the Hunger Games, it seemed like following this example wasn't possible at all. Everything I did for somebody was only punishing somebody else. I volunteered to help that little boy and I was willing to sacrifice myself, and I only put Lacy's life on the line with me. I tried to save Raven from being killed, and I only got Demi killed instead.

I always told myself that if you acted in a certain way, that good things would happen. The 'right side' always won in the end and those who were evil would be punished. My mother always told me that whenever I asked her why she was willing to do the things she would do to help out others. That belief, however, just didn't apply to the Games. If you did something good for somebody else, there was always a cost.

This world is so messed up…

After Demi's face, the images in the sky faded away. That was the last death of today, but that wasn't the last one period. This was the Hunger Games after all. More were sure to come soon.

"Jason," Raven spoke up, getting my attention, "I just wanted to say thanks again. I would be dead if it wasn't for you… and I'm so sorry about Demi again."

"It's not your fault. It's m-"

"If it's your fault, then it's just as much mine!" Raven exclaimed loudly. Tears were now starting to develop in her eyes. She quickly rubbed them out before speaking again. "I'm also to blame. S-So, I want to make up for it. She was your ally, right? Then I'll try and be the best ally I can be to thank you and make amends to her."

"You don't have to thank me or make amends, Raven." I pointed out to her. She gave no response and, instead, gave me an indignant look in response. "But, I did assume we were allies since the bloodbath. So, if you want to work with me, then you can."

"So we are working together?" Raven asked for clarification. Her demeanor changed to the same cheerful state that I always noticed during the training days. "You won't regret it! I'll do everything I can and show that I can help."

"I could use the help. Trust me, I'd be lost by myself." I chuckled in response.

Seeing Raven look happy again reminded me of exactly why I even acted in the first place. I didn't want Demi to die because of me, and I doubt I would ever forgive myself for that, but I was always going to be grateful that I saved Raven's life. She always seemed like a really sweet girl and she didn't deserve to have her face in the sky of the arena. She was entitled to her life, just like everyone here was.

Nothing was going to change who I was and what I did. I wanted to be an example to everybody that was watching that, even in the darkest of moments, people can still be good people and help each other. I wanted to remind everyone in the Capitol that this wasn't some show for them to watch. We weren't actors; we were real people and, if we died, we were going to stay dead. If I could get that message across to even one person and maybe inspire them to do something about this whole Hunger Games, then I could say I lived my life to its fullest.

The Hunger Games needed to end somehow, and whether I was going to live or die after this whole thing, all I could do was hope that I would be able to bring its end closer.

A few seconds of silence passed as Raven and I began to sit our stuff down on the floor of the house and lay down. It was late and it was getting close time to sleep. Things were probably going to get hectic tomorrow, so we needed to be as refreshed and ready as possible. Getting rest, no matter how little, was going to be a necessity.

"Jason?" Raven repeated my name.

"Yes?" I asked as I turned my head to face her again.

"I'm glad we are working together." She told me with a smile. "Ever since I heard your name, I knew you were somebody who would be a good guy to work with and be around. You have the same name as I guy I know back in District Eight."

"Oh? What's he like?" I chuckled to myself. It was funny just how common names were amongst the other districts. Heck, my last name was the first name of the boy from District Five, and he shared his last name with the boy from District Four. I guess it was just a small reminder that even if the Capitol tried to pit us all against each other each year in the Hunger Games, we were all a lot more similar than we ever thought.

"He's kinda an idiot. He does a lot of weird things that most guys my age do to get attention. And he's very flirty." She answered with a slight giggle. "But he's a really nice guy, and somebody I wished I knew a little better."

"You like him, don't you?" I asked teasingly.

"Huh?" Raven blinked in response before shaking her head. "No! Of course not!"

"Don't try to hide it. I can tell." I replied with a chuckle.

I was actually pretty good at reading people and figuring out their thoughts. People and their feelings were just easy for me to understand. It was an affinity I had for some reason. I didn't quite understand it, because my parents had been divorced for years after a crappy relationship and I never had a relationship with a girl yet, but I just had this ability to see and help others with their own relationships. I was able to help my best friend, John, figure out he was gay and even helped him find a nice guy to get together with. I also knew about a crush that Lacy had on a guy at her work and I had been trying to nudge her in a direction to ask him out.

"Well what about you? Do you have a girl you're interested in?" Raven questioned, trying to steer the topic away from the 'Jason' from her district.

"Nope. I never found somebody I was interested in." I answered with a chuckle.

"Really? There's nobody you're interested in back in District Nine?" She asked in surprise. "Most of the guys I know do nothing but talk about girls and hooking up."

"It's the same in District Nine. There's a lot of guys who only want to hook up. I just don't want a 'hook-up'. I'd rather have a relationship, and I just haven't met a girl I was interested in." I answered.

Raven and I spent the rest of our time simply talking about the people of our districts: our friends, our family, and the random people we knew. It wasn't a very in-depth conversation into the topic, but it was a lot of fun and I was able to learn more about District Eight, which really appeared to be not much different from District Nine. It was a lot of fun, and I was glad to have had that experience with her. It was nice to just forget about the Hunger Games and all of the killing, even if it was just for a small moment.

Emery Aspen's POV – District 12 Female

"So… What's your 'loved one' like?" Yaro asked.

Kaylee and I both gave him a strange look. The three of us had been silent ever since the Capitol anthem and after seeing who had died. None of us had anything in particular to say or talk about afterwards. What could someone honestly talk about after seeing the faces of five dead kids that we had been basically living with for the past few days?

"What?" I asked for clarification.

"You know what I mean. The person the Capitol linked to us for the Quarter Quell twist." He responded.

"Why do you want to know?" Kaylee spoke up cautiously.

"Well, it was just a thought and I'm curious." Yaro shrugged as he looked upwards at the ceiling of the cave we were in. "I mean, their lives are on the line with us, so they're not some unknown topic. I just thought it would be kinda nice if we knew about the lives that were actually at stake, you know?"

I rolled my eyes at his reasoning and the topic itself. Why does this topic always come up? I really didn't like thinking about Aiden too much. It was impossible to avoid thinking about him, but I preferred seeing him as just a 'motivational reason' to fight and get back from the arena alive. Thinking about him alone just made me nervous. I would only think of the boy that I grew up with my entire life, which led me to thoughts about how if I fuck up, I was going to get him killed with me.

"Maybe it's 'nice' to you, but it's not necessary." Kaylee answered dismissively.

"Ah come on guys. I think we should know about who we are all fighting for. If I die… and Keev dies with me… I would at least want him to be remembered by others. He deserves that at least." Yaro mumbled in response.

My eyes widened at that thought. I never thought about that…

Aiden and I may not have been very popular in District Twelve, but we liked the idea that we were 'memorable'. Just after talking to the two of us, people would remember us. Aiden never wanted to be forgotten. He wanted to make a bigger name for himself when he became older.

Maybe it would be a good idea to talk about him…

"Well, this was your idea. Why don't you go first?" I spoke. Maybe I would share some information on Aiden, but I wasn't going to be first one to reveal things. I didn't know exactly what was appropriate to say, so I wanted to hear what Yaro had to say.

A smile developed on Yaro's face as he realized that at least I was willing to entertain his topic.

"Well, Keev's awesome." He declared. "He's a year older than me and we met when we just little kids. He was originally just my best friend, but he moved in with my family a few years ago, so he's now technically my brother."

"Why'd he move in with your family?" I asked, feeling surprisingly curious.

"It's, well, kinda complicated. I don't really know if he'd want me talking about some of the details. Let's just say it was for the best and we'll leave it at that." He mumbled in response. He started to rub the back of his head nervously.

Guess there were a few topics that we didn't have to bring up in our little 'discussions'. I wanted to comment on that, but I decided against it. There were things I wasn't willing to say about Aiden, such as some of the vandalism that we have caused together.

"Gotcha. Then, what's he like?" I asked.

"Very, very nice guy. He's a bit stubborn at times, but he always means well. He's a hard-worker and is always wanting to help out anybody that needs it." Yaro noted with a smile. "He's also really good with kids. My little nephew loves him."

"You have a nephew?" I asked in surprise.

"Uh huh. My older sister just had him about a few months ago and he's basically attached to Keev by the hand. Sometimes, I think that baby loves him more than me. But that's totally not fair! I'm the fun uncle and he's the boring one that's too serious; he should love me more!" Yaro mockingly whined. He still had a smile on his face, showing that he really wasn't that upset by that statement.

I never even realized Yaro had a sister, let alone a nephew. It then dawned on me, that despite knowing him for the past few days and figuring out how his mind worked, I really knew next to nothing about him. He also knew nothing about me, and we both knew nothing at all about Kaylee.

It was an extremely weird dynamic, and I wasn't certain how comfortable it made me feel, putting my trust in a group of people who I just knew nothing about personally. Perhaps I really should share some things about myself and Aiden…

"You two seem close: just as close as me and Aiden." I spoke with a laugh of my own.

"And what's he like?" Yaro questioned.

"Nearly identical to me. Just picture me with a dick." I answered with a shrug.

"Oh God, there's two of you in the world!" My district partner gasped loudly.

"Joker, shut the fuck up!" I exclaimed with a laugh. "… That might be a little harsh on my part, anyway. Besides, he looks nothing like me. Anyway, Aiden is actually a pretty nice guy when he wants to be. By himself, he's actually polite to others and stuff. I'm probably a bad influence on him."

I stopped myself to laugh a little bit at that. Yeah, I probably was the reason he didn't have the best reputation in District Twelve. Then again, I only was really bad myself when I was with him. We only did any of our pranks when we were together. We both brought out the worst in each other, and that's made our friendship special.

"I don't know. Is there really such a thing as a 'bad influence' in a friendship?" Yaro commented. "If you were, then he wouldn't be your friend. The two of you probably just bring out a different side in each other."

"I guess." I chuckled. "We've been best friends since we were five, so it'd be kinda pointless to ever end our friendship. We've went through everything already, so why ever end it when it's still working?"

"Very true point." 'Joker' laughed in agreement. He then turned his attention to the third member of our alliance, Kaylee – who had been silent this entire conversation. "What about you Kaylee?"

"What about me?" She retorted immediately.

"We talked about our friends, so it's your turn." I rolled my eyes in response. "What's your lover-boy like? Harper's his name, right?"

Kaylee glared at me in response. "I never asked you two to share all that information with me. I wouldn't have done that if I were you. As for me, I'm not obligated to say anything about Harper."

"But why not?" Yaro questioned with a frown on his face.

"Because I don't have to and I don't want to." She answered dismissively as she lied down on the ground.

"Business, what the hell?" I shouted at her. "Why do you not want to? We're your allies! It's not like we are going to do anything with that information! And what could we do with some knowledge about your boy-toy anyway?"

"He's not my boy-toy!" She hissed in response. "And I'll repeat myself: I don't have to share any information I don't want to. Just because we're working together doesn't change that fact." She then closed her eyes. "I'm going to bed, and so should you two. We have a busy day planned and we're going to need to be as energized as possible."

Yaro and I stared at her, lying on the ground. He was looking at her with a frown on his face, while I simply glared at her. We waited a few minutes in silence before speaking when it was clear that she was asleep and was ignoring us.

"I probably should've predicted that reaction. I tried talking a little bit to her in the training days, and she always avoided any personal topics." Yaro noted with a sigh. "She's a really private person."

"There's a difference between being private and being an asshole." I snorted in response. "God, we sure picked a good one for an ally, didn't we Joker? Anti-social bitch."

"She'll warm up over time. I know that." Yaro mumbled in reply.

"And how are you sure of that? If anything, she's getting worse since when we first met her." I scoffed.

"It's just what I think. She's not an open person, but she'll open up over time. She's just still not comfortable with us." He replied.

I made no comment back, but I still disagreed with him. If she wasn't comfortable with us now, then she wouldn't be ever. Period. Besides, the actual Hunger Games were underway. Any of us could die at any time. There was no guarantee we had the time to see if she would open to us.

"… Well, she's kinda right I guess. We should head off to bed." Yaro said with a sigh after a few more minutes of silence.

I nodded in response. The two of us bid each other goodnight and lied down on the ground in our own spots.

Hopefully I'd get some good sleep tomorrow. Kaylee was a bitch, but she was right. We had a lot of plans tomorrow and we were going to begin our own hunting. We all had to be awake, ready, and full of energy tomorrow.

All of this is for you Aiden…

Lepolio Huang's POV – District 2 Male

"That bitch! I will have her head!" Ariail cursed loudly.

"Ariail, calm down. You've been raving about that now forever." Cascade rolled his eyes in response.

Cascade's comment only riled up Ariail further. The District One boy was infuriated enough that it appeared like steam would be coming out of his ears. It was almost amusing to me. How could one person actually experience this much anger over anything? Even I, when I found out my son was tied to my life and experienced my first real feeling of anger, wasn't filled with this much rage. It was times like these with Ariail where I realized I would never properly understand human emotions.

And to think all of this is because of Alaska.

The girl was very reclusive and quiet during our few interactions during the training days. She tried not to stand out much amongst the other career tributes and was put to the side as a result by the others during the training days. She would have been forgotten if she had simply passed away during the bloodbath. Considering that, it was surprising just how much damage she caused to our alliance by simply not joining up with us.

"She had the nerve to leave the alliance like that. She used us just to get out of the bloodbath!" Ariail growled. His hands were tightened around his katana. "She was never a true career. I knew from the second I saw her. She's just a dumbass who had to pull off some stupid trick to get out of the bloodbath, because she couldn't rely on her own skills to get out of the bloodbath by herself!"

"Ariail, need I remind you that she got an eight? She fit the criteria to be in the Career Pack. She is qualified and capable, especially considering she was able to trick us into thinking she was a member. I'd say you are vastly underestimating her." I told him neutrally.

"I'm rating her exactly as she is! She's nothing: period." He hissed, ignoring my words.

Fool.

I gave no verbal reply and resolved to simply shaking my head. Anger was clouding his judgment and it was going to get him killed sooner than later. Emotions like that were a weakness. Ariail was going to be easily exploitable later in the Games when I was ready to kill him.

Unlike him, I saw things from a point of view completely centered on logic and reason. From that stand-point, Alaska was clearly a viable threat. She was clearly intelligent, as she was able to fool all of us into believing she was working with us. Thanks to her acting, she was able to leave the bloodbath with any supplies and weapons she may need for the Games. She had to have everything she needed, meaning she was going to be a difficult fighter. And, despite what Ariail may say, she was indeed a skilled fighter with her knives and traps. I knew exactly how capable and how threatening she was, and I would approach fighting her appropriately. She would be one of my highest-priority targets after Logan.

Then again, maybe it would be a good thing if she were to remain alive for at least a little while longer. The longer she was alive, the more it would infuriate Ariail, which would make him easier to emotionally exploit.

There were a couple of different directions I could take this scenario between Ariail and Alaska. I had options and I was going to debate what would work best for my Game before I decided what to do about it.

Ariail continued to fume silently to himself for a few more minutes before he finally started to calm down slightly. He then dropped his supplies down on the ground.

"It's late. We need to get rest." He declared. "Tomorrow we will begin our hunting, and we need to be wide awake. There weren't many kills in the bloodbath, so we need to correct that right away."

Cascade, Victoire, and I nodded and lowered our supplies to the ground as well. As soon as I set my katanas down, I picked them back up and looked at 'our leader'.

"In case of a Gamemaker interference or if one of the other tributes manages to find us, we should have someone stay up and act as a night watch. We can rotate every two hours who is awake, so that we all end up getting sleep." I suggested.

"I agree." Ariail nodded in agreement as he then picked up his katana. "As the leader, I'll act as night watch first. I'll wake up Victoire next, then Cascade, and then finally you Lepolio. Any complaints?"

As expected. Ariail would do the first watch simply to be the first one to do it. He was definitely attempting to show off and make himself out to be the leader in another way. His pride meant so much to him and made his actions rather predictable, which is something I liked. It made planning my future actions against him that much easier.

"I have no complaints." I answered.

"None here." Cascade replied after me.

Victoire simply shook her head, giving no verbal reply. She had not talked much since the bloodbath and her little conflict with Ariail. Most likely, she was still mad at both him and me for how we reacted to Kendra.

Personally, I didn't understand why Kendra's death affected her so much. Ariail may have acted on pure emotion, but he was correct: an unconscious ally would simply hold us down. Besides, it removed one of the bigger threats in the Games right off the bat. Although I realized Ariail's motives were purely emotional and not based on logic, his action was a very good choice and I would support him for it. We all should. He was no threat or danger to the alliance. His emotions were simply a tool that we could use to kill him later: they were no threat to us. If Victoire couldn't see, understand, or agree with any of this, then she most likely didn't deserve to be a part of this alliance.

"Then get sleep everybody. Our hunts will begin tomorrow." Ariail informed us. He then tightened the grip on the katana in his hand. "And then, Alaska will die. I'll make sure it is by my hand. She'll die tomorrow!"

I heard Cascade sigh in frustration and Victoire scoff, but they gave no verbal reply and decided to lie down. I joined them.

While I was not particularly interested in hunting Alaska in particular, I was ready to begin the hunting. Due to my fight with Logan, I didn't bother getting any kills in the bloodbath. That was not good for my reputation and potential sponsorships. I needed to get a kill soon to show the Capitol audience that my score wasn't meaningless, so I could ensure my sponsorships once the Career Pack disbands. Besides, nineteen living tributes was a rather high number. It was usually much lower after the Games. It had to be decreased, and I was more than willing to help lower that number.

Geneva Zyra's POV – Gamemaker – Lead Director of Muttation Design

"Nineteen! There are still nineteen of them alive!" Horatio Karthus, lead Gamemaker in charge of surveillance and tracking tributes, screamed loudly.

I, along with my other co-workers, sighed in frustration. Before becoming a Gamemaker, Horatio was a funeral director and an absolute fanatic with the Hunger Games. There was something about death that he found fascinating and he always enjoyed watching tributes die during the Games. Although it was probably a good thing that he was so excited about his job, it was rather annoying to deal with him. After all, if there hadn't been a 'death' in a certain amount of time, he would bitch about it.

During the Games, I had to be constantly alert and ready to unleash any of the mutts that I have spent the past year designing. There wasn't a second I wasn't working and, for the duration of the Games, I was probably not going to get much sleep. Because of that, I was not in the mood to listen to Horatio's whining about a 'lack of death'. This was the fucking Hunger Games after all. Kills were going to happen. Now just shut up and let me concentrate.

"It's still early in the Games. Give it time, Karthus, and the killing will continue." Head Gamemaker Damien spoke up, referring to him by his last name: like how he referred to us all.

"I'm surprised you haven't done anything about it Brand. Don't you want this year's Games to be grand? There needs to be more action! There needs to be more death!" Horatio exclaimed.

He's insane.

"Give it time. The Games will be grand if we stick with our plans. We have many things planned, and you know it. There will be kills and this year will be great." The Head Gamemaker noted with a smirk. "This year won't be forgotten after everything that's going to happen."

Horatio scowled in response before he took his seat and returned his attention back to the multiple surveillance screens. Almost immediately after he started to look at the screen, he let out a maniacal laugh that actually disturbed me slightly.

"Karthus, what the hell are you laughing about?" Damien shouted at him with a scowl.

"Heh, looks like I needed to just speak up earlier." He stated excitedly as he pointed to one of the screens in front of him. "Take a look at this!"

Immediately, a few of our co-workers walked over to see what he was pointing at. I, too, walked over and looked at it curiously. On screen was the boy from District Ten, Logan Faber, walking. He was the only tribute that, at this hour in the arena, was still awake. And, judging from his position on the map, he wasn't that far away from a potential target…

"Looks like we aren't going to have to wait any longer. We'll get a kill soon!" Horatio commented happily.

A shiver ran down my spine as I thought back to the District Ten boy and the display he presented during his private interview. Although Horatio was put into stunned silence from awe, I was simply put into disgust. He tortured my avox and killed it in cold blood right in front of us, as if he didn't care that we were in the room.

He was a disgusting creature, and he was one of the most dangerous tributes I've ever seen enter the arena during any of the Games I've worked on. Personally, I wanted nothing more than to watch him die at the hands of one of the other tributes or one of my mutts.

… However, I knew he was good and that he would give the Capitol audience a show that they would remember. Now, it was time to see exactly how much of a show he was going to give us.

At the very least, it was time to start preparing another cannon to go off.

END OF DAY 1

Author's Note: And here is the next chapter! I actually got it finished before my trip! :O

Yeah, this is the end of the first day. The first day was mostly the bloodbath, and afterwards, it was all development. A 'calm before the storm' if you will. Day two will begin soon, and things will be getting much more intense...immediately. -

I also included another point of view from the Gamemakers. Question: do you like this format? I've become a little attached to my gamemakers and I do like to occasionally mention what is happening with them. If you all like these POV's, let me know. If you don't, I'll make sure to remember and not include many (if any more at all).

Thank you to all the comments about my trip! I'm super excited for it, yet a little anxious. Hopefully I don't embarrass myself too much! My Spanish is adequate at best, but I guess I'll see how much I can actually speak/understand :P

The next chapter will begin right away, but I'm expecting it won't be done until after my trip. I'll try and get it posted a little sooner, but if I don't, expect it no later than the first week of January. I promise that! So, in case I can't post again, I hope you all have a happy holidays and I'll see you when I get back with the next update! :)